This project falls under the BRS Conventions’ Regional Centre Small Grant Programme on Plastic Waste and for its completion, the BCRC-Caribbean will be supported by Suriname Waste Management (SUWAMA), an environmental foundation based in Suriname. The project aims to address the need for an alternative solution to deal with single-use plastics and their waste, and reduce environmental pollution caused by plastics in Suriname. The project will be accomplished through several activities, which include establishing a baseline inventory of single-use plastic waste in Suriname; running a pilot project to replace single-use plastic bags with more sustainable options through collaborations with local women’s organisations and stores; and creating three zero-plastic high schools. This will be followed by the development of a recommendations report and implementation plan to be shared with decision-makers.
The Household Waste Partnership Working Group was established by the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention in 2017 to address the important issue of household waste and to provide technical assistance worldwide through the dissemination of available solutions for ESM, including issues such as separation at source, collection, transport, storage, recycling, energy recovery and final disposal.
The BCRC-Caribbean is a member of the Working Group for the Household Waste Partnership and has significantly contributed to the development of the draft guidance on the ESM of household waste which aims to demonstrate best practices related to the ESM of household wastes.
In September 2019, the BCRC-Caribbean hosted the second meeting of the Household Waste Partnership which aimed to discuss the Working Group’s work plan for the 2020-2021 biennium including:
- Finalisation of the draft overall guidance document on the ESM of household waste;
- Collection of case studies from various regions related to the topics addressed in the guidance document;
- Enhancement of awareness-raising activities and training on the ESM of household waste and enhancement of people’s participation in household waste management activities and decision-making; and
- Coordination of outreach activities and cooperation with other organisations working on household waste management, including the Partnership on Plastic Waste.
Testing and feedback report of the draft guidance on the Environmentally Sound Management (ESM) of household waste in the Guanapo Landfill, Trinidad and Tobago
The ‘Revised draft overall guidance document on the environmentally sound management of household waste’ (UNEP/CHW.14/INF/32) is now at an advanced stage and ready to be tested by relevant stakeholders to assess its coherence, comprehensibility and usability.
The Secretariats of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm (BRS) Conventions and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) together with the BCRC-Caribbean have agreed to co-operate through a Small-Scale Funding Agreement to test the guidance document by implementation of the project entitled “Testing and feedback report of the draft guidance on the ESM of household waste in the Guanapo Landfill, Trinidad and Tobago” and further partnering with the Trinidad and Tobago Solid Waste Management Company (SWMCOL). The main objective of this pilot project is to test the draft guidance and to provide feedback in the form of a report.
The BCRC-Caribbean is now seeking now in the process of seeking final approval from the BRS Secretariat while working alongside the SWMCOL in planning and execution of the project. The project will also require the recruitment of locally based personnel with expertise in Waste Management, Economics, Communications and Health, Safety and the Environment. The project is expected to begin in July 2021 and conclude by December 2021.
The management and disposal of ULABs and waste oil pose a challenge for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Region due to the intermittent flow of materials required for sustainable recycling operations, their limited landmass and challenges with economies of scale.
At the 13th Conference of the Parties (COP), in April 2017, the COP took note of the ‘draft practical guidance document for the development of inventories of used lead-acid batteries (ULABs), waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) and waste oils’, and invited Parties to use the guidance in executing pilot projects as a basis which could inform on the revision and improvement of the guidance document. The practical guidance document aims to provide simple methodologies for developing inventories that will assist in national reporting under the Convention, as well as provide a sound basis for ESM of these hazardous wastes.
Small-Scale Funding Agreements by the Secretariat of the Basel Convention (SBC) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) are being facilitated to test the guidance document and develop preliminary inventories for ULABs and Waste Oils in the Caribbean. Proposals have been accepted to test the guidance documents for ULABs in Barbados, Guyana, Saint Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago and Waste Oils in Barbados, Guyana and Saint Lucia.
The BCRC-Caribbean is now in the process of seeking final approval from the SBC Secretariat while working with the countries to plan for and execute the pilot projects. The Centre will also seek to develop the capacity of the participating countries by recruiting in-country personnel that will be trained in the development of the inventories. The projects are expected to begin in July 2021 and end by December 2021.
As a follow up to a pilot project undertaken by Piranha International Ltd, who facilitated the collection of used mobile phones within Trinidad and Tobago, the project aims to demonstrate best environmental practices for the ESM of used mobile phones in Trinidad and Tobago, increase national awareness on the issue and promote the development of national policy for ESM of mobile phones. The planned activities will complement the upcoming Global Environment Facility (GEF) Implementing Sustainable Low and Non-Chemical Development in SIDS (ISLANDS) - GEF ID: 10279 Project, in which Trinidad and Tobago is a participant, and can facilitate information exchange across the Caribbean.
This project has four (4) main objectives to achieve its aim as it relates to the ESM of used and End-of-Life (EOL) mobile phones:
- To test (i) the Basel Convention e-waste Technical Guidelines and (ii) the Mobile Phone Partnership Initiative’s (MPPI) Guidance Document on the ESM of EOL and used mobile phones using a local internationally certified e-waste recycling company;
- To assess the national technical and infrastructural capacity for the recovery of waste mobile phones and for the refurbishment of non-waste mobile phones;
- To provide clear recommendations for policymakers in Trinidad and Tobago on the implementation of a national model for the ESM of the mobile phones waste stream;
- To develop communication products in order to stimulate behavioural change in Trinidad and Tobago as it relates to the ESM of EOL and used mobile phones, thereby preventing the landfilling of used mobile phones and increasing opportunities for refurbishment and re-use.
In light of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has extended technical assistance to countries to integrate the environment into the response and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Government of the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago, through the Ministry of Planning and Development, has received approval from UNEP for technical guidance and support specific to chemicals and waste management.
This project aims to improve the capacity of the Government of the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago to address areas of concern within the existing biomedical waste management system due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Trinidad & Tobago and to develop a future contingency planning. The project will also seek to provide public awareness and knowledge transfer as it pertains to managing biomedical wastes at medical facilities, including at the household level.
This project is expected to commence in July 2021 and end by December 2021, with the Ministry of Planning and Development serving as the lead for the project.
ENFORCE aims to promote parties’ compliance with the provisions of the Basel Convention pertaining to preventing and combating illegal traffic in hazardous wastes and other wastes through the better implementation and enforcement of national law through a network of relevant experts. This is achieved by bringing together existing resources and enhancing and improving cooperation and coordination between relevant entities with a specific mandate to deliver capacity-building activities and tools for preventing and combating illegal traffic.
In October 2019, Ms. Jewel Batchasingh, Director (Ag.) of the BCRC-Caribbean, was elected co-chair to the ENFORCE committee. The BCRC-Caribbean participated in the twelfth meeting of the Open-Ended Working Group of the Basel Convention in September 2020, and the fifth meeting of ENFORCE, where the BCRC-Caribbean presented its plans for implementing the ENFORCE roadmap for 2020 to 2021, in January 2021.
Under the Basel Convention, the Plastic Waste Partnership was established to mobilise business, government, academic and civil society resources, interests and expertise to improve and promote the ESM of plastic waste at the global, regional and national levels and to prevent and minimize its generation. Through the ESM of plastic waste, the PWP aims to reduce significantly and in the long-term eliminate the discharge of plastic waste and microplastics into the environment, in particular the marine environment. As of May 2021, the Partnership had 106 members with members from the Caribbean including Guyana, Jamaica, The Bahamas and Trinidad and Tobago.
To carry out our core objectives, the BCRC-Caribbean began development on webinars for the Training of Trainers to provide them with the tools to equip others with the required knowledge for the ESM of Chemicals and Waste. Starting off in October of 2020, the BCRC-Caribbean, with United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), hosted a webinar on the Sustainable and Environmentally Sound Management of Used Lead Acid Batteries (ULABs) in Latin America and the Caribbean, where participants were informed of:
- UNEP’s Regional Work on ULABs
- Health Impacts of Lead and ULAB Recycling
- Enabling regulatory framework
- Practical experience from regional competent authorities
An internal session was held on the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Procedure under the Basel Convention in January 2021, which provided the BCRC-Caribbean team with information on the Basel Convention, Hazardous Characteristics and Hazardous waste under the Basel Convention, the PIC procedure and an interactive session on the completion of a notification document form.
Further to this, the Minamata Initial Assessment (MIA) Training Seminars was held under the MIA Bahamas Project and opened to the other countries that participated in past and ongoing MIA projects, and aimed to:
- Discuss mercury issues in the Caribbean while providing an overview of the obligations of the Minamata Convention on Mercury.
- Provide initial training on conducting an inventory of mercury releases
- And finally, share and discuss mercury awareness-raising strategies with Caribbean messaging.
Similar to the webinar on PIC Procedures, these future training sessions will centre around the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm (BRS) Conventions and provide interested parties with:
- Backgrounds to the Conventions,
- Chemicals covered by the Conventions
- Reporting procedures
- Legal obligations
- And other valuable knowledge to aid Parties in achieving the ESM of Chemicals and Waste.